Singapore's dazzling airport biodome will be worth the layover

Singapore is embarking on a $1.5 billion, five-story, 1.4-million square-foot biodome project for its Changi Airport. Plans for the biodome include lavish gardens and fluid waterfalls that will pour down from the dome’s
roof. The stunning structure will be made from glass and steel and include five
levels of shopping and entertainment.

The dome, titled Project Jewel, will be designed by Moshe Safdie, a world-renowned architect, born in Israel and raised in Canada. His work includes the
United Institute of Peace, in Washington, D.C., and the Skirball Cultural Center, in Los Angeles.

Safdie, who has created 85 projects around the world, is well-known for combining nature and architecture. The lustrous garden, to be housed in the top floor of the
giant dome, will include a circular waterfall that will drizzle from the roof
into a sparkling pool below.

The biodome's garden will comprise the top floor of the five-story complex. (Photo: Changi Airport Group)

Safdie's website calls Project Jewel an "iconic mixed-use complex" that will offer "aviation and travel-related facilities, a wide range of retail offerings, as well as unique leisure attractions."

Its gardens will include green walls to offset
the emissions from the jets overhead. The dome will serve as a node linking Terminals 1, 2 and 3, improving inter-terminal connectivity. There are also plans for the complex to provide a central communal facility for the 32,000-strong airport community.

Passengers using Changi Airport comprise about 30 percent of Singapore’s air traffic.

The biodome is slated to include retail and hotel facilities and leisure attractions. (Photo: Changi Airport Group)

"For tourists, we (envision) Project Jewel to be a must-visit Singapore attraction, located strategically at the doorstep of one of the world’s busiest air hubs, and an extension of the Changi brand promise that many travellers worldwide have come to know us for," said Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of the Changi Airport. "For Singaporeans, it will be an exciting world-class destination right here at home, where they can relax and enjoy (spending time) with their loved ones, again and again.”